UPDATED 21:29 EDT / JUNE 25 2018

APPS

Apple releases first public beta test versions of iOS 12 and macOS Mojave

Apple Inc. today released the first beta test versions of its main operating systems, iOS 12 and macOS Mojave, giving early adopters their first taste of the software announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference June 4.

Leading the headlines is the iOS 12 public beta, with the first release offering a range of new features with a focus on productivity and privacy tools.

At the top of the list is the first release of Group Facetime, which as the name suggests supports group calls and discussions between a maximum of 32 people. Apple is pitching the product, which is similar in function to Google Hangouts Chat and Skype for Business, at business users. Some are suggesting that it has the potential to become a major player in the enterprise videoconferencing realm.

Power is also addressed in iOS 12, a critical feature given the revelation last year that Apple was throttling the performance of older phones. There’s improved support for older models as far back as the iPhone 5S, and Apple claims customers will see significant speed improvements and lower power consumption.

Other less significant additions include new local multiplayer shared augmented reality experiences and support for ARKit 2, new Animoji animated emojis and, for your inner child or if you are a child, a feature called Memoji that allows users to create an Animoji based on their own features.

With macOS Mojave, users obtain a new native “dark mode” that allows them to change the look and feel of the entire user interface to darken the display and dim harsh or bright elements. Finder and Quick Look have both been upgraded, with the sidebar now supporting full metadata for images, multimedia, documents and files. In addition, Quicklook now integrates editor software Markup to recognize numerous types of media.

To obtain copies of the iOS 12 and macOS Mojave beta versions, you need to sign up to the Apple Beta Software Program, which is free. If you’re already a member, follow the prompts on the site. A final version of both of is expected to be released to the public later this year.

Image: Apple

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